At 430/km, Mumbai has highest car density

Mumbai: Mumbai has the highest density of private cars on the road compared to other metros.

Statistics by state transport ministries show Mumbai has 430 cars/km of road, compared to Kolkata's 308. Pune is third with 248 cars/km. Delhi, despite having the most private cars (27.9 lakh), has a car density of 93/km.

Mumbai's roads are bursting at the seams as 172 cars are added daily, while the length has remained close to 2,000km for few years. In six years there has been a 56% rise in private cars, which occupy 85% of road space and are an impediment for growth of public transport. There are 8.6 lakh private cars in the city at present.

Public vehicles have a population of 1.64 lakh and density of 82 vehicles/km of road. It is 19% of the total number private of cars plying on any stretch in the city. "Private cars will keep growing unless there are good alternatives and a robust public transport system of AC buses and metros," said expert Sunil Mone. "The Ghatkopar-Versova metro has dissuaded many from using cars along east-west corridor."

Private cars have also become affordable for the middle class. Mumbai Transport Forum co-convener Rishi Aggarwal said, "It is easy to get a loan with comfortable EMIs of Rs 5,000-8,000 for a hatchback. Parking will become a nightmare if the car population goes unchecked."

Ashok Datar of the Mumbai Environmental Social Network said, "Public transport can never grow unless we remove cars parked on the road at least on major arteries. About 20% road space is used for car parking."

Aggarwal said the government should also encourage aggregator AC buses, with each carrying 40-45 passengers, freeing up significant road space. "Another issue is noise and air pollution. For 25 years, the government has only been talking about green fuel, imposing restrictions on polluting vehicles and encouraging public transport. But the problem on the ground level remains unchanged," said activist Anil Galgali.

Experts said people aged 25-30 are more into buying cars as they are not guaranteed good public transport to travel to office. Last year, US transportation secretary Anthony Foxx stressed the need for an effective mass transit system and creation of more travel options for people commuting in the same space. Former transport commissioner V N More had proposed restricting private cars, and new registrations should be done only if there is an "assured parking space" in the housing society. He had also proposed a hefty cess on petrol and diesel for cars and exorbitant parking charges in commercial areas.